Friday, February 27, 2009

LAB Mixtapes: Episode 4

Sometime around the turn of the century, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation launched it's eponymous Web channel CBC Radio3. Simultaneously, Canadian Indie Music became incendiary and explosive. The Radio 3 podcast which began shortly after in 2002 delivered high-powered indie-pop/rock/folk/hip-hop on a weekly basis and has since been the source of much of the new music I listen to. Bands like Arcade Fire, Wolf Parade, The New Pornographers, Metric, The Dears, The Weakerthans, The Constantines, Sam Roberts and Hot Hot Heat were typical of this almost impossibly high quality hit parade of Canadian artists that hailed from Halifax, Montreal, Toronto, Calgary, Vancouver and everywhere in-between.

Unfortunately, Canadians getting air play on mainstream terrestrial radio remain the likes of Nickelback, Avril Lavigne and Sum41. Safe. Insipid. Dull. Predictable. Podcasts such as Radio 3, NPR's All Songs Considered and John Sakamoto's Anti-hit List continue to be the primary source and champions of exciting, intelligent and energetic new Canadian music. In turn, music fans who write their own blogs and hear how little these acts are played on Canadian radio have taken it upon themselves to popularize their favourite artists. While record labels and radio stations might rightly blame the Internet for destroying the core of their businesses they have only themselves to blame for becoming irrelevant by continuing to offer only the dregs of offerings rather than the cream of the talent pool.Episode 4Runs 9:51 mins.